![Total Solar Eclipse: August 12 2026](https://cdn.slatesource.com/3/d/f/3df16f69-db5e-49b2-90a1-0c5bd40c4fdd.webp) # Total Solar Eclipse: August 12 2026 - [Made in Slatesource](https://slatesource.com/@steph/total-solar-eclipse-august-12-2026) - By [Steph](https://slatesource.com/@steph) - Created on Aug 1, 2026 10 days and17:51:10 Eclipse type Total solar eclipse Maximum totality duration 2 minutes 18 seconds (off Iceland coast) Width of the shadow path approx. 160 km at totality centre Last European mainland totality 1999 (27 years ago) Next one crossing Europe 2075 People in the path of totality approx. 15 million (Iceland plus Spain) ## What Is HappeningHappening on AugustAugust 12 On AugustAugust 12, 20262026, the MoonMoon slidesslides directlydirectly betweenbetween the EarthEarth and the SunSun, castingcasting a conecone of totaltotal darknessdarkness calledcalled the umbraumbra acrossacross a narrownarrow stripstrip of the planetplanet. AnyoneAnyone standingstanding insideinside that stripstrip will seesee the Sun'sSun's discdisc completelycompletely blockedblocked, revealingrevealing the ghostlyghostly whitewhite coronacorona: the Sun'sSun's outerouter atmosphereatmosphere, invisibleinvisible to the nakednaked eyeeye at any otherother timetime. The pathpath of the umbraumbra beginsbegins at dawndawn over the remoteremote TaymyrTaymyr PeninsulaPeninsula in SiberianSiberian RussiaRussia, arcsarcs northnorth over the GreenlandGreenland iceice capcap, clipsclips the westernwestern coastcoast of IcelandIceland, then crossescrosses the NorthNorth AtlanticAtlantic and sweepssweeps acrossacross northernnorthern SpainSpain beforebefore the shadowshadow liftslifts over the MediterraneanMediterranean. The wholewhole transittransit from firstfirst contactcontact to lastlast takestakes underunder fourfour hourshours. The windowwindow of totalitytotality at any singlesingle pointpoint lastslasts fewerfewer than twotwo and a halfhalf minutesminutes. MOMENT Reykjavik, Iceland 5:43 PM local time. Totality lasts up to 2 minutes 18 seconds. The longest duration \\ MOMENT Santander, Spain 8:26 PM local time. Totality begins here first in Spain. The Sun sits only 10 degrees \\ MOMENT Burgos and Leon, Spain 8:27 to 8:28 PM local time. Both cities sit close to the centreline. Totality lasts \\ MOMENT Palma, Mallorca 8:33 PM local time. The Balearic Islands fall within the path. Watching from a boat \\ ## What to LookLook For DuringDuring the TwoTwo MinutesMinutes ThreeThree phenomenaphenomena are only visiblevisible duringduring totalitytotality and nowherenowhere elseelse. Baily'sBaily's beadsbeads: as the Moon'sMoon's mountainsmountains and valleysvalleys breakbreak the lastlast crescentcrescent of sunlightsunlight, it shattersshatters into a stringstring of brightbright dropletsdroplets alongalong the lunarlunar limblimb just beforebefore totalitytotality beginsbegins. The diamonddiamond ringring effecteffect: oneone finalfinal beadbead blazesblazes brilliantlybrilliantly as the lastlast sliversliver of photospherephotosphere vanishesvanishes, then the coronacorona eruptserupts into viewview. The coronacorona itselfitself: the Sun'sSun's outerouter atmosphereatmosphere stretchesstretches for millionsmillions of kilometreskilometres. At the 20262026 eclipseeclipse the SunSun is nearnear solarsolar maximummaximum, so the coronacorona is expectedexpected to be largelarge, asymmetricasymmetric, and fullfull of loopinglooping prominencesprominences visiblevisible to the nakednaked eyeeye. StarsStars and brightbright planetsplanets will appearappear aroundaround the blacked-outblacked-out SunSun. TemperaturesTemperatures will dropdrop 5 to 10 degreesdegrees in secondsseconds. BirdsBirds maymay stopstop singingsinging. Then, in underunder threethree minutesminutes, it is over. Your Eclipse Day Checklist 0% \- Book your site in advance. Santander, Bilbao, and Burgos are all reporting hotel rooms sold out for August 12. Search for inland villages along the centreline. \- Get ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses. Standard sunglasses block nothing at a safe level. The ISO rating is printed on the lens arm. Verify it before August 12. \- Arrive early and face west. Totality in Spain starts with the Sun already low. Any building or hill to your west will block the view. Scout your spot the day before. \- Stay flexible. Cloud cover is the single biggest threat. Monitor AEMET (Spain's met office) from August 10 and be ready to drive an hour toward clear skies. \- Remove eclipse glasses ONLY during totality (when the Sun is fully covered). Put them back on the moment the diamond ring appears at third contact. This is critical. \- Set two phone alarms: one for 30 seconds before totality, one for 30 seconds before end. This lets you put the glasses down and just experience it with your own eyes. \- Capture the atmosphere, not just the eclipse. Point one camera straight up. Use another, on a tripod with a solar filter, for the corona. Do not spend totality staring at a screen. Two minutes passes faster than you expect. The next total solar eclipse crossing mainland Europe will be on September 3, 2081. The 2026 eclipse is the only one most people alive today will ever see from European soil. The one after that, in 2027, sweeps North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and the Horn of Africa but misses Europe entirely. > Totality is one of the most overwhelming experiences a human being can have outdoors. People who swore they had no interest in astronomy become eclipse chasers for life after their first two minutes in the shadow. [NASA Science: Total Solar Eclipse August 12, 2026](https://science.nasa.gov/eclipses/future-eclipses/total-solar-eclipse-on-august-12-2026/?utm_source=slatesource) [National Eclipse: Complete path maps and city data for 2026](https://nationaleclipse.com/overviews/2026-total-solar-eclipse-overview.html?utm_source=slatesource)